Bicycles and wagons festooned in red, white and blue, pancake breakfasts and funnel cakes, fireworks and drones lighting up the night sky. Orange County communities have tons of plans for how to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Some kick-start the celebration of American independence a little early, and some involve multiple days of fun in the sun. Most are free to attend or very low cost.

Here are many of the city- and community-sponsored events on tap. Events are on Friday, unless otherwise noted:

Aliso Viejo: The Aliso Viejo Community Association will present its July 4 celebration at Grand Park. The homeowners association’s event will take place from 6-9:30 p.m., with a concert and family activities, as well as a fireworks show at 9 p.m. For more information about park opening times and street closures, go to avca.net.

Anaheim: The Anaheim Hills community’s annual celebration will include a day of activities, beginning at 7 a.m. with the Firecracker 5K/10K run and walk, starting from Canyon High School. The Yankee Doodle Dog Show will be at 9 a.m. at the high school’s softball field.

This year’s parade, presented by Disneyland Resort, will begin at 1 p.m., starting out from Canyon High School and traveling along Santa Ana Canyon Road. Food booths and entertainment will be at Peralta Canyon Park, with live music starting at 3 p.m., until the fireworks show begins at 9 p.m. For more information:, go to anaheim.net/fourthofjuly.

Brea: Celebrate Independence Day at the 45th annual Country Fair at City Hall Park, 401 S. Brea Blvd. The fair will open at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast and last until 3 p.m., with entertainment, food, a car show, various contests, games and rides planned all day. The kiddie parade will start at 10:45 a.m. Admission to the Brea Plunge will be free starting at noon. Information: cityofbrea.net.Costa Mesa: The city will host a community celebration Thursday at the OC Fair & Event Center. The 5-11 p.m. event will be free and feature entertainment and activities for families. The fireworks show will be at 9:30 p.m. Information: costamesaca.gov.

Dana Point: The city’s fireworks show will light up the harbor at 9 p.m. A barge off the coastline of Doheny State Beach will be used to shoot off the fireworks. Popular viewing spots include Pines Park, Heritage Park, Lantern Bay Park, Baby Beach, Doheny State Beach, the harbor island and the Ken Sampson Overview gazebo. Information: danapoint.org.

The Condor Squadron Officer’s & Airmen’s Association Inc. will do a flyover at about 5:50 p.m., coming from the direction of Newport Beach.

Fullerton: The city will again host a Fourth of July celebration at the Fullerton Downtown Plaza. From 5-9 p.m., there will be live music, activities for families, food vendors and more. A fireworks show will cap off the evening. Information: cityoffullerton.com.

Huntington Beach: The city always has big plans for the holiday.

The Surf City Run 5K will kick off at 7 a.m. for residents and run along Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. Register online. There will also be an open 5K, a stroller 5K and a run for children.

The traditional Main Street Parade, advertised as the largest west of the Mississippi, will step off at 10 a.m. at Ninth Street and Pacific Coast Highway, travel up Main Street and finish at Clay Avenue. This is the parade’s 121st year.

The Condor Squadron association will do a flyover at about 5:30 p.m., heading in the direction of Newport Beach.

There will be live entertainment at Pier Plaza starting at noon and, finally, at 9 p.m. a fireworks show will be launched over the water.

On Saturday, there will be more entertainment on Main Street from noon to 7 p.m., and on Sunday, the Rockstars of Tomorrow will perform from noon to 6 p.m. at Pier Plaza.

For more information on these events, go to hb4thofjuly.org.

Irvine: The city will host an inaugural July 4 celebration at the Great Park from 4-10 p.m.

There will be a community parade at 5 p.m. along the Great Park Walkable Historical Timeline; children and families are invited to participate by decking out their bikes, scooters, strollers and wagon in patriotic decorations. There will be live music at Hangar 244 starting at 4 p.m., food for sale and family activities and games throughout the day.

A drone show is planned for 8:45 p.m. and a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. Information: cityofirvine.org.

Also, the city and the Irvine 2/ 11 Marine Adoption Committee is hosting the annual Fourth of July Field of Valor from July 1 to 13 on the Irvine Civic Center lawn. Community members can sponsor a flag in honor of a veteran or an active duty or fallen service member. For more information, go to cityofirvine.org/fieldofvalor.

Laguna Beach: The city will return with its fireworks show at 9 p.m. at Heisler Park. Monument Point will be closed all day, and starting about 5 p.m., the area of Heisler Park from Myrtle Street to the Rockpile Beach stairs will be closed. Information: lagunabeachcity.net.

The Condor Squadron association will do a flyover at about 5:45 p.m., coming from the direction of Newport Beach.

Laguna Hills: The community’s annual Fourth of July Celebration will include festivities at the Laguna Hills Community Center & Sports Complex. From 4-9 p.m., community members will be able to enjoy live music, a festival, activities and food. The event will be free to attend, and food and drinks will be available for purchase. At 6 p.m., band Anthem Road will perform. A fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. For more information, go to lagunahillsca.gov.

Laguna Niguel: Laguna Niguel Family YMCA will host its 46th Run in the Parks with a 5K and a children’s race. First will be the 5K at 8 a.m. For more information, go to ymcaoc.org/run.

The Laguna Niguel Chamber of Commerce will host a pancake breakfast to accompany the run. The cost will be $10 and it will take place at Crown Valley Park’s lower soccer field. Food will be served from 7:30-10:30 a.m.

The city will host a free session of swimming from 1-4 p.m. at the Laguna Niguel Aquatics Center.

There will be a 5:30 p.m. flyover of the city, traveling over Crown Valley Parkway from the 5 Freeway to Pacific Coast Highway. A concert will kick off the evening’s festivities starting at 5:30 p.m. at Crown Valley Park.

The city will host a drone show this year, in lieu of fireworks. More than 400 drones will launch at 9 p.m. For more information, go to cityof lagunaniguel.org.

Lake Forest: The community will celebrate with its annual parade, themed “Lake Forest Thrives in 2025,” kicking off at 9:30 a.m. at Ridge Route and Toledo Way. It will follow Toledo Way, turn right on Lake Forest Drive, then right onto Serrano Road and end at Ridge Route. For more information, go to lakeforestca.gov.

La Habra: The city will host an Independence Day party for the community at La Bonita Park. Super Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute band, will perform live, there will be a military flyover, activities for children and vendors and a fireworks show will cap the night at 9 p.m. Gates will open at 4 p.m. Presale wristbands, $8 for youths and $10 for adults, can be purchased at the La Habra Community Center, 101 W. La Habra Blvd. For more information, go to lahabraca.gov.

La Palma: The city’s annual La Palma Fitness Run for Fun will have 5K and 10K events for running and walking as well as a Yankee Doodle Dash for children. The first start will be at 7:30 a.m. There will also be a pancake breakfast in Central Park. For more information, go to cityoflapalma.org.

Los Alamitos: The annual fireworks spectacular at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos will be held Thursday, but the base will be closed to the public. Instead, the 9 p.m. fireworks show will be livestreamed on the city of Los Alamitos’ social media pages. For more information, go to cityoflosalamitos.org.

Mission Viejo: The city’s July 4th Street Faire & Fireworks Spectacular will return. Olympiad Road between Marguerite Parkway and Melinda Road will be closed for the fair, which will start at noon and feature live entertainment, rides, food trucks and games. Admission will be free. Fireworks will start at 9 p.m. For more information, including on shuttle service, go to cityofmissionviejo.org.

Newport Beach: Several parades and activities are planned throughout the city:

The 4th of July is for Families Newport Peninsula Bike Parade and Community Festival will kick off at 9 a.m. at 36th Street Park and travel down Balboa Boulevard to Channel Place Park, where there will be a free festival with carnival games, jump houses, crafts and food. The festival will run to 11:30 a.m.

There will be a children’s bike parade at 10:30 a.m. at Mariners Park.

The Old Glory Boat Parade will begin at 1 p.m. in Newport Harbor at the east end of Lido Isle. The annual parade is hosted by the American Legion Yacht Club and the American Legion Post 291. Participants are sought and a viewing map can be found at alyc.com.

The Condor Squadron association will do a flyover at about 5:35 p.m., coming from the direction of Huntington Beach.

A fireworks extravaganza at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina will cap a day of activities at 9 p.m. Newport Beach co-sponsors the fireworks show. There will also be activities and entertainment earlier in the day.

For more information, go to newportbeachca.gov.

Orange: Orange Park Acres will host its 58th July Fourth parade starting at 10 a.m. at Salem Lutheran Church & School. For more information, go to orangeparkacres.org.

San Clemente: The Condor Squadron association will do a flyover at about 6 p.m., coming from the direction of Newport Beach.

A spectacular fireworks show will launch at 9 p.m. from the San Clemente Pier. The approximately 20-minute show can be seen from many beaches and hilltop areas. For more information and free trolley routes, go to san-clemente.org.

San Juan Capistrano: The city will host a carnival at Marco Forster Middle School starting at 2 p.m. There will be games, activities, food, shopping, entertainment and more. Attendees can watch fireworks starting around 8:45 p.m. The city’s trolley will be free for the day. For more information, go to sanjuancapistrano.org.

Santa Ana: The city will host an Independence Day celebration starting at 5 p.m. with live music, a play area for kids, food and more at Centennial Park, 3000 W. Edinger Ave. The fireworks display will begin at 8:45 p.m. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, go to santa-ana.org/fourth-of-july.

Tustin: The community will celebrate at Tustin High School, 1171 El Camino Real, with entertainment beginning at 6 p.m. Admission will be free, but parking at the high school will be $10, with proceeds going to the school’s dance team. There will be food trucks. A fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. For more information, go to tustinca.org.

Villa Park: A parade will kick off at 9 a.m. Children of all ages decorate their bikes, scooters, wagons and such to participate in the parade, which will travel a mile and a half through residential streets. Line up at 8:30 a.m. at Cerro Villa Middle School. For more information, go to vpcsfoundation.org.

Yorba Linda: East Lake Village will get into the spirit early with its annual Patriotic Boat Parade on Thursday. Boats will be decked out with red, white, blue and lights to tour around the lake starting at 8:45 p.m. The public can watch from the greenbelts that surround the lake. Food trucks in the village’s parking lot will be selling from 6-9 p.m.

Yorba Linda’s annual 4th of July Spectacular will kick off at 5 p.m. with family activities, food vendors and a concert at Veterans Park and Yorba Linda Middle School. The fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m. The event will be free. Information: yorbalindaca.gov.

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum will play host to a “thrilling Continental Militia Skirmish” reenactment beginning at 10 a.m. Then an actor playing former President George Washington will share Revolutionary War stories. The event will be free to attend. Registration, which does not include admission to the galleries, can be found at nixonfoundation.org.

On Sunday, the Huntington Beach Concert Band will perform a patriotic concert in the library’s East Room.